You better believe he got a rundown feeling after this

Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was your run?

Pace-setter Eric Strabel's hopes of winning Alaska's 27th annual Crow Pass Crossing wilderness marathon last Saturday were eventually dashed, the Anchorage Daily News reported, when:

• A bear on the trail delayed him for maybe 30 seconds;

• A moose and calf refused to move, forcing him to take a detour; and

• An ensuing tumble left an ear, shin and hands bloodied.

Suddenly, Heartbreak Hill seems downright pleasant.

Cold shoulder

Dallas receiver Roy Williams had to carry his own shoulder pads back to the locker room after Dez Bryant, ignoring NFL rookie tradition, refused to carry them for him on the opening day of training camp.

Veteran Cowboy-watchers were stunned — that Williams only dropped them twice.

Low-rent Shaq

"Remember those Walmart commercials where the prices on the signs kept getting lower and lower?" wrote Greg Cote of The Miami Herald. "Shaquille O'Neal, free agent."

Dust off Denzel

Looks like Oregon's bad-boy quarterback, once seemingly bound for UNLV, might wind up with the SEC's Rebels instead.

Anyone up for a "Mississippi Masoli" Heisman campaign?

Before Scout.com

Ex-Raiders great Ben Davidson, who never played high-school football, took up the sport at East Los Angeles College and somehow wound up at Washington — where he played on the Huskies' 1960 and 1961 Rose Bowl winners.

"I think there was a lot of word of mouth back then," Davidson says, "and I think the coach would say, 'This guy's really stupid, but he works hard and he'll do what you tell him.' "

French connection?

After France's new coach suspended the entire national soccer squad for one game after its embarrassing World Cup showing, wrote Len Berman of ThatsSports.com, "This could be the start of something.

"Mariners? Lions? Nets?"

Never on Sundays

"We've got to do something about these Sundays," moaned Reds manager Dusty Baker. "We've been shut out three Sundays in a row. We've got to score on Sunday."

Thank goodness he doesn't coach an NFL team.

Quote marks

• CJ Currie of SportsDeke.com, after ex-Seton Hall basketball coach Bobby Gonzalez pleaded not guilty to shoplifting a $1,400 satchel: "After checking his stats as a player at Buffalo State, I'm thinking maybe Gonzalez just didn't know how to put it in the basket."

• Headline at SportsPickle.com: "Dale Earnhardt Jr. finishes last after misplacing his keys."

• Comedy writer Alan Ray, on concerns that Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger might have lost a step: "At his age, he can no longer outrun a jealous boyfriend."

News briefing

Rookie QB Tim Tebow has signed on to pitch the same brand of underwear that made Jim Palmer famous.

Hey, what could be more fitting than Jockey on a Bronco?

Dwight Perry: 206-464-8250 or dperry@seattletimes.com